JPH04265912A - Optical fiber connector terminal and production thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To fix an optical fiber to an optical fiber terminal body without using an adhesive. CONSTITUTION:Plural pins 9 are positioned in a sleeve 8 equidistantly from the center of the sleeve 8 around the sleeve by which an optical fiber insertion hole 10 is formed. The sleeve 8 is inserted to the tightening hole parts in the front and rear parts of the pins 9 by which the front and rear parts of the pins 9 are tightened to reduce the diameter of the optical fiber insertion hole 10 in these parts at the time of mounting the sleeve to a holding member 6. The optical fiber 11 is thus gripped by the pins 9, by which the optical fiber 11 is fixed to the optical fiber terminal body without using the adhesive.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical fiber connector terminal used for connecting and disconnecting optical fibers and a method for manufacturing the same.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art In optical fiber propagation paths used in optical fiber communications, interconnection of optical fibers is an extremely important issue. When connecting optical fibers, it is necessary to align the axes of the optical fibers with high precision on the order of micrometers. In this case, the optical fiber is made of glass and has a thin outer diameter of around 100 microns.
The terminals of the connector must satisfy two conditions: protection and reinforcement of the optical fiber, and alignment of the axes of the connector terminals with high precision.

[0003] The first product developed to solve this problem was
This is the optical fiber connector terminal shown in FIG. This optical fiber connector terminal includes a terminal main body 40 made of zirconia ceramic, which is molded to a slightly larger size than a predetermined size, and then sintered to form a pre-formed optical fiber insertion hole. The optical fiber insertion hole 41 was made to a predetermined size by polishing the optical fiber insertion hole 41 with a carbide wire.

0004

However, in the conventional optical fiber connector terminal made of zirconia ceramic, the optical fiber 42 is inserted into the optical fiber insertion hole 41 and fixed with an adhesive. The adhesive is applied manually to the fiber wire 42, and it takes time for the adhesive to harden, making it difficult to confirm the hardening.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its first object is to fix an optical fiber to an optical fiber terminal body without using an adhesive. An object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber connector terminal that can be used as an optical fiber connector terminal.

Another object of the present invention is to be able to fix an optical fiber in an optical fiber connector terminal body without using an adhesive, and to It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing an optical fiber connector terminal that can eliminate the step of bonding fiber wires.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above first object, the present invention provides a holding member having a sleeve attachment hole and a tightening hole, and a holding member that is attached to the holding member and tightened. A sleeve having a hole is provided, and a plurality of pins are positioned within the sleeve at equal distances from the center of the sleeve to form an optical fiber insertion hole to hold the sleeve. When attaching to a component, the front and rear parts of the pin are inserted into the tightening holes to reduce the diameter of the optical fiber insertion holes in these parts and insert the optical fiber with the pin. It is characterized by being designed to be gripped.

[0008] In order to achieve the second object, the present invention also provides optical fibers by arranging a plurality of pins in the inner hole of the sleeve at equal distances from the center of the sleeve. An insertion hole is formed, the rear end of the pin is inserted into the sleeve attachment hole of the holding member, and an optical fiber wire is inserted into the optical fiber insertion portion of the holding member, and the optical fiber is inserted into the sleeve mounting hole of the holding member. At the same time as inserting the optical fiber into the optical fiber insertion hole, the tip of the optical fiber is inserted into the optical fiber insertion hole at the tip of the sleeve, and the sleeve and the holding member are moved so as to close the gap between them. Then, insert the tip of the pin into the tightening hole of the sleeve, press the rear part of the pin into the tightening hole of the holding member, and insert the rear end of the sleeve into the sleeve mounting hole of the holding member. By inserting the pin into the front and rear parts of the pin, tighten the front and rear parts of the pin, reduce the diameter of the optical fiber insertion hole in these parts, and grip the optical fiber with the pin. It is characterized by being made to do.

[0009]

[Operation] As mentioned above, an optical fiber insertion hole is formed by positioning a plurality of pins in the sleeve at equal distances from the center of the sleeve, and the pins are placed in the sleeve at equal distances from the center. During installation, by inserting the front and rear parts of the pin into the tightening holes, the front and rear parts of the pin are tightened to reduce the diameter of the optical fiber insertion hole in these parts, so that the pin can grip the optical fiber wire. To fix an optical fiber strand to an optical fiber terminal body without using adhesive.

0010

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be explained based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of an optical fiber connector equipped with an optical fiber connector terminal according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the optical fiber connector terminal according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the same. , FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the same.

The optical fiber connector consists of a plug 1 and an adapter 2 as shown in FIG. 5 is housed and held.

This optical fiber connector terminal 5 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, an optical fiber connector terminal body 7 is attached to a holding member 6, and this optical fiber connector terminal body 7 is provided with a sleeve 8. Three pins 9 are housed around the center O, and an optical fiber 11 is inserted and fixed into the center hole formed by the three pins 9, that is, the optical fiber insertion hole 10. The tab 8 is press-fitted into the holding member 6, and the pin 9
By press-fitting the front and rear portions of the pin 9 into the tightening holes 19 and 14, the front and rear portions of the pin 9 are tightened to reduce the diameter of the optical fiber insertion hole 10 in these portions, and the pin 9 is used to tighten the optical fiber strand 1.
1 is held, and the optical fiber wire 11 is fixed to the optical fiber connector terminal body 7 without using adhesive.

That is, the holding member 6 is made of stainless steel, and includes an insertion hole 13 into which the optical fiber line 12 is inserted, a tightening hole 14 having a larger diameter than the insertion hole 13, and a tightening hole 14 larger than the insertion hole 13. The holding member 6 has a sleeve press-fitting part 15 which is a large-diameter sleeve mounting hole, and a collar part 16 corresponding to the sleeve press-fitting part 15 and a flange part 16 corresponding to the tightening hole 14 on the outer periphery of the holding member 6. A corresponding shaft portion 17 is formed. An engagement groove 18 is formed in the flange 16.

The sleeve 8 is made of stainless steel, and its inner hole 20 has a diameter that is approximately the same as the outer circumference of the three pins 9 that would be in contact with each other if the three pins 9 were inserted in an equilateral triangular arrangement. It's the size. The front side of this inner hole 20 is formed into a tightening hole 19, which has a smaller diameter than the inner hole 20, and into which three pins 9 are arranged in an equilateral triangle shape and inserted. In this case, each of these pins 9 is made slightly smaller than the outer circumferential circle with which it contacts, and has the same diameter as the tightening hole 14 of the holding member 6. Further, the tip of the sleeve 8 is closed, and an optical fiber insertion hole 22 is formed in the center of this closed portion 21, and a conical guide is formed at the inner end of the optical fiber insertion hole 22. A portion 23 is formed.

The pin 9 is made by cutting a pin material made of stainless steel into a predetermined length, subjecting it to heat treatment or work hardening treatment, and polishing it to a predetermined roundness and surface roughness using a polishing device. The length L of the pin 9 is determined by the length H of the tightening hole 14 of the holding member 6 and the tightening hole 1 of the sleeve 8.
The length J of the pin 9 is approximately equal to the sum of the length M of the inner hole 20 of the sleeve 8, and both ends of the pin 9 are chamfered.

Next, a method for manufacturing (assembling) an optical fiber connector terminal will be explained.

Three pins 9 are inserted (press-fitted) into the inner hole 20 of the sleeve 8 so as to be positioned in an equilateral triangle, and the tapered surface 24 of the tip of the pin 9 is inserted into the inner hole 20 of the sleeve 8. The hole 20 and the tightening hole 19 are brought into contact with a tapered portion 25 at the border.

As described above, by inserting the three pins 9, the pins 9 form the center hole, that is, the optical fiber insertion hole 10.

Next, the holding member 6 and the sleeve 8 are held with a jig (not shown), and the space between the holding member 6 and the sleeve 8 is closed, and the rear end of the pin 9 is attached to the holding member. 6 three
Insert the pin into the press-fit hole 15 and make the chamfered tapered surface 27 of the rear end of the pin 9 contact the tapered portion 28 at the boundary between the sleeve press-fit hole 15 and the tightening hole 14. .

Next, the optical fiber wire 12 is inserted into the insertion hole 13 of the holding member 6, and the optical fiber wire 11 is inserted into the optical fiber insertion hole 10, and the optical fiber wire 11 is inserted into the insertion hole 13 of the holding member 6. The tip is inserted into the optical fiber insertion hole 2 at the tip of the sleeve 8.
2.

In this temporarily assembled state, as shown in FIG. 7, the pin 9 does not grip the optical fiber strand 11.

Next, operate the jig to move the sleeve 8 to the holding member 6 side and the holding member 6 to the sleeve 8 side, and tighten the tip of the pin 9 on the sleeve 8. Hole 19
At the same time, the rear part of the pin 9 is press-fitted into the tightening hole 14 of the holding member 6, and the rear end of the sleeve 8 is also press-fitted into the sleeve press-fitting part 15 of the holding member 6.

By press-fitting the tip of the pin 9 into the tightening hole 19, the tip of the pin 9 is tightened and the diameter of the optical fiber insertion hole 10 in this portion is reduced, as shown in FIG. Grip the optical fiber 11. Further, by press-fitting the rear portion of the pin 9 into the tightening hole portion 14, the rear portion of the pin 9 is tightened, the diameter of the optical fiber insertion hole 10 in this portion is reduced, and the pin 9 grips the optical fiber wire 11. .

Next, the optical fiber wire 11 protruding from the distal end surface of the sleeve 8 is cut to obtain the optical fiber connector terminal 5.

Further, in the above embodiment, the guide portion consisting of the tapered surface 27 of the pin 9 was formed at the rear end of the optical fiber insertion hole 10. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a conical guide portion 26
may be formed. The guide portion 26 is formed by electrical discharge machining or cutting.

Although the number of pins 9 is three in the above-described optical fiber connector terminal and method for manufacturing the same, it is not limited to this and may be five or seven. Furthermore, although stainless steel is used for the pin 9, other materials such as tungsten, beryme, titanium, synthetic resin, and hard rubber may be used instead of stainless steel.

[0028]

As explained above, the optical fiber connector terminal according to the present invention includes a holding member having a sleeve mounting hole and a tightening hole, and a holding member that is attached to the holding member and has a tightening hole. A sleeve is provided, and a plurality of pins are positioned within the sleeve at equal distances from the center around the center of the sleeve to form an optical fiber insertion hole, and the sleeve is attached to a holding member. Sometimes, by inserting the front and rear parts of the pin into the tightening holes, the front and rear parts of the pin are tightened to reduce the diameter of the optical fiber insertion hole in these parts, so that the pin can grip the optical fiber wire. Therefore, the optical fiber wire can be fixed to the optical fiber terminal body without using adhesive.

[0029] Furthermore, in the present invention, an optical fiber insertion hole is formed by positioning a plurality of pins in the inner hole of the sleeve at equal distances from the center of the sleeve, and the rear end of the pin into the sleeve mounting hole of the holding member, insert the optical fiber line into the optical fiber line insertion part of the holding member,
Insert this optical fiber into the optical fiber insertion hole, and insert the tip of this optical fiber into the optical fiber insertion hole at the tip of the sleeve, and connect the sleeve and the holding member.
Move them so as to close the gap between them, insert the tip of the pin into the tightening hole of the sleeve, and insert the rear part of the pin into the tightening hole of the holding member, and then tighten the rear end of the sleeve. Insert it into the sleeve mounting hole of the holding member and insert it into the tightening holes of the front and rear parts of the pin to tighten the front and rear parts of the pin and reduce the diameter of the optical fiber insertion hole in these parts. Since the optical fiber element is held with a pin, the optical fiber element can be fixed within the optical fiber terminal body without using adhesive, and the optical fiber element can be fixed. The line bonding process can be eliminated.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of an optical fiber connector including an optical fiber connector terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an optical fiber connector terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the same.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the optical fiber connector terminal in a temporarily assembled state.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which an optical fiber wire is inserted into an optical fiber insertion hole of the optical fiber connector terminal.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a guide portion for an optical fiber insertion hole formed at the rear end of three pins press-fitted into the sleeve.

FIG. 10 is a partially sectional side view of the same.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a conventional optical fiber connector terminal.

[Explanation of symbols]

5 Optical fiber connector terminal, 6 Holding body 8 Sleeve 9 pin 10 Optical fiber insertion hole 11 Optical fiber rough wire 14 Tightening hole 19 Tightening hole

Claims (2)

[Claims] Claim 1: A holding member having a sleeve mounting hole and a tightening hole, a sleeve attached to the holding member and having the tightening hole, and a plurality of pins arranged in the sleeve. Optical fiber insertion holes are formed around the center of the sleeve by placing them at equal distances from this center, and when the sleeve is attached to the holding member, the pins are inserted into the tightening holes in the front and rear parts. An optical fiber connector terminal characterized in that the front and rear parts of the pin are tightened to reduce the diameter of the optical fiber insertion hole in these parts so that the pin can grip the optical fiber wire. 2. An optical fiber insertion hole is formed in the inner hole of the sleeve by positioning a plurality of pins around the center of the sleeve at equal distances from the center, and the rear end of the pin is attached to the holding member. , insert the optical fiber line into the optical fiber insertion part of the holding member, insert the optical fiber into the optical fiber insertion hole, and insert the optical fiber into the optical fiber insertion hole. Insert the tip of the pin into the optical fiber insertion hole at the tip of the sleeve, move the sleeve and holding member so as to close the gap between them, and insert the tip of the pin into the tightening hole of the sleeve. At the same time, press-fit the rear part of the pin into the tightening hole of the holding member, insert the rear end of the sleeve into the sleeve mounting hole of the holding member, and then press the rear part of the pin into the tightening hole of the front and rear parts of the pin. An optical fiber connector terminal is characterized in that the front and rear parts of the pin are tightened to reduce the diameter of the optical fiber insertion hole in these parts, so that the pin can hold the optical fiber wire. Production method.